CLYDE THISTLE battled back from being a goal down to record their first victory in the Paisley, Johnstone and District YFL top tier in the form of a 7-2 win over Giffnock on Saturday.

After a 4-4 draw against Broomhill on the opening day of the season, the Rhu Jags were determined to claim all three points on their home pitch at Ardenconnel and they did so with a strong, confident performance.

Thistle started the match brightly but against the run of play went behind when poor defending allowed a Giffnock striker to shoot high beyond Zak Logan at his near post.

It took a bit of time for the Thistle players – wearing their new away kit provided by sponsor Ground Control – to recover from this early setback and an injury to forward Lenin Campbell midway through the first half meant Kieran O’Donnell went on with his side still a goal down.

The pacey super sub quickly made an impact though. Nathan Brown played a long ball over Giffnock’s defence and O’Donnell raced down the left flank and found the net with an ice cool finish at the near post.

From there Thistle shifted through the gears and at the half-time interval they were 3-1 up with Brown firing a high shot from distance over the goalkeeper before Charlie Cook produced a quick turn in the 18-yard box and a tidy finish.

The second half was one-way traffic as the hosts kept the pressure on Giffnock’s goal and it was not long before they deservedly extended their lead.

Another dinked ball over the visitor’s defence bounced up in front of the keeper and O’Donnell nodded it towards goal before he made it 4-1 from a tight angle.

The Thistle players were now enjoying themselves and Brown then received plenty of high fives after he curled a superb shot from distance into the top corner of the net from Aidan Clifford’s clever assist.

It was Jack Smith who scored his side’s sixth goal and what a brilliant counter attack it was in the build-up.

A headed clearance from Aidan Dixon found Cook on the right side of the pitch in his own half and he put his foot on the accelerator to go past his marker and cross the halfway line.

The midfielder looked up and completed a stunning 30-yard diagonal pass to Smith who had made a similar lung-bursting run on the opposite wing. The flame-haired No. 18 took one touch on his chest before his sweet strike from 20 yards flew into the top corner to the delight of the home support.

The Jags were not finished there though, and it was no surprise that Cook made it 7-1 with a great solo effort.

The young playmaker again popped up on the right side of the pitch and after beating his marker on the halfway line he sprinted towards goal unchallenged and drilled a low finish into the opposite bottom corner.

Giffnock did get a second goal when the Thistle defence appeared to hesitate and look for an offside decision, but when the referee let play continue a well-taken finish followed to complete the scoring at 7-2.

After the final whistle coach Chris Hedley said: “We are delighted the boys got their first win of the league season as they were disappointed after being 3-1 up in their previous game against Broomhill and only taking a point.

“When we went behind to Giffnock I actually felt we were the better team at that point so I was confident we would come back and get chances. I was just hoping we would take them – and we did.

“Again there were some very strong performances from our players from back to front, with captain for the day Ross MacKinnon putting in another excellent display and leading by example at left-back.

“But the coaches’ man of the match is Charlie Cook, as he not only scored two excellent goals but he controlled the midfield along with Nathan Brown – who also had a very good game - and his pass for Jack’s goal, our sixth, was different class.”

Squad: Zak Logan, Adam Smith, Brandon Mackie-Fleming, Jay Black, Ross McKinnon (c), Kyle Glancy, Cammy Warner, Nathan Brown, Charlie Cook, Jack Smith, Lenin Campbell, Kieran O’Donnell, Aidan Dixon, Aidan Clifford, Owen Hedley, David Howie.